Decoupling capacitors (DCAPs) are an important component of power distribution networks (PDNs) for very-large-scale-integration (VLSI) designs. These decoupling capacitors shunt the supply noise caused by active circuit elements through the capacitor, thereby suppressing the supply noise observed by other elements of the circuit that are about to become active.
Several considerations are important to DCAP design, including high area efficiency, robust electrical properties, and properly targeted operational frequency. However, some DCAP designs are susceptible to damage from electro-static discharge (ESD) events, particularly as the transistor designs enter into ultra-deep sub-micron and finFET process nodes. Moreover, designs intended to render the DCAP more resistant to ESD damage are often hindered by an inherent trade-off between high area efficiency and high frequency operation.
The above-described description is merely intended to provide a contextual overview of current techniques and is not intended to be exhaustive.